Chapter 555: Who Else

Three days after the World Honored One retreated, the momentum of the great tide of time did not wane; rather, it surged with even greater ferocity. In the Outer Realm void, that ocean of light continuously expanded and churned like a breathing behemoth. Every expansion tore the realm barrier deeper and wider.

The sky of the Profound Yellow Origin Realm was no longer a sky. It had become a Broken mirror crisscrossed with countless rifts. What bled through these rifts was no longer starlight, but the Chaos Color of that ocean of light.

Qi Yun sat cross-legged within the Array Hub of Taixu Hall. The stretch of Great Dao blue sky behind him had solidified by three-tenths from its initially blurry phantom. Within that blue sky, chaos remained undivided, yet the outlines of the sun and moon vaguely appeared. The trajectories of stars flowed, and the nascent forms of mountains and rivers bobbed within the chaos.

Qingyuan True Monarch rotated off duty, sitting in a Side Hall of Taixu Hall to regulate his breath. His face was somewhat pale, but the Sword Intent in his eyes was even more condensed than before. Although he had only lent his Great Dao to the Grand Array during the battle just now, personally experiencing the power impact of the Daoist King Level was in itself a rare tempering experience for him.

“Fellow Daoist Qingyuan.” King Saint True Monarch walked over from the other side, holding a Bamboo Scroll densely packed with various data regarding the Grand Array’s operation. “The Grand Array’s consumption is greater than anticipated. At this rate, we might not be able to hold out for more than three months at most.”

Qingyuan True Monarch fell silent for a moment.

“Three months… is enough,” he said slowly. “The peak period of the great tide of time will not exceed three months. Either they breach Profound Yellow within three months, or the tide recedes and they retreat.”

“But… can we truly hold on for three months?” King Saint True Monarch asked with a solemn expression.

Qingyuan True Monarch’s gaze shifted slightly, but he remained silent. They both knew the truth in their hearts. If the breach failed, the Dao Kings would definitely spare no expense to descend in person. When that time came…

Outside the hall, another rift tore open above the Celestial Vault. This time, it was not the golden Buddha Light, but a swath of dark red. The dark red was like coagulated blood—thick, sticky, and exuding a nauseating stench of decay. Within that dark red, countless twisted faces could faintly be seen wailing and struggling. That was a Blood Sea formed from the gathered resentment of all living beings who had met violent ends since time immemorial.

Qi Yun opened his eyes and looked toward that dark red.

“The second one,” he muttered to himself.

Within the dark red, no hands reached out, nor did any voices emerge. There was only a single gaze—cold, greedy, and carrying a thirst that had spanned eternity. It “looked” at Profound Yellow as if staring at a feast it had awaited for countless years.

Qi Yun did not make a move, as that dark red was merely watching without attempting to invade. Ignoring it, he closed his eyes once more and sank his Heart and Spirit into the blue sky behind him. That stretch of blue sky was his true trump card.

On the fifth day, another rift tore open. This time, it was cyan-gray.

That cyan-gray was like the cold gleam of a sword’s edge, sharp and chilling, carrying an absolute resolve to sever everything. Within the cyan-gray, there was no gaze and no aura—only a sword. It was the phantom of an Ancient Sword that spanned Heaven and Earth. The sword remained sheathed, yet its Sword Intent had already pierced through the realm barrier, pierced through the Grand Array, and pierced through the dome of Taixu Hall, landing squarely on the heart of every Sword Cultivator.

Qingyuan True Monarch abruptly stood up, his complexion changing drastically. The Ancient Sword at his waist let out a piercing buzz.

“This is…” his voice trembled slightly.

“A Sword Dao Dao King.” Qi Yun’s voice drifted from the Array Hub, completely calm. “Do not panic. He is merely looking.”

“Looking at what?”

“Looking at Qi’s sword.”

Qingyuan True Monarch fell silent. That Sword Dao Dao King was not spying on Profound Yellow’s flaws, but rather examining Qi Yun. He was examining his Sword Dao, evaluating whether he was qualified to be his opponent.

“Interesting,” Qi Yun laughed softly.

He released his own Sword Intent without reservation, facing that cyan-gray Sword Intent from afar. The two Sword Intents met in the air. There was no collision, no clash. They merely “looked” at each other for a moment before mutually retreating. The cyan-gray rift slowly closed. The phantom of that Ancient Sword also gradually dissipated, as if it had never appeared. Qingyuan True Monarch let out a long sigh of relief, only to discover that his back was already drenched in cold sweat.

On the seventh day, the rifts increased to seven.

Golden, dark red, cyan-gray, pitch-black, ghastly white, deep blue, and purple-gold—seven colors, seven gazes, seven Dao Kings. They hovered quietly in the depths of the ocean of light, gazing at Profound Yellow. There was no communication, no probing. Only waiting.

The atmosphere inside the hall grew increasingly oppressive. Every True Monarch could feel the weight of those seven gazes; they were like seven great mountains pressing down on everyone’s hearts.

“Fellow Daoists,” Qi Yun’s voice suddenly rang out. “There is no need to be nervous. If they could enter, they would have done so already.”

The gathered True Monarchs exchanged blank glances.

Qi Yun withdrew his gaze and poured more power into the Grand Array, driving the seven-colored pillar of light to burn even more fiercely. That stretch of blue sky was solidifying at a visible rate—the sun and moon became clearer, the stars grew brighter, and the outlines of the mountains and rivers became more distinct.

On the tenth day, True Monarch Shen Yi arrived.

It was not his true body, but a transmitted message. The Token at Qi Yun’s waist vibrated slightly, and a thought entered his Heart and Spirit:

“Do you need a helper?”

Qi Yun fell silent for a moment before replying with a single word: “No.”

The Token did not light up again. Qi Yun did not delve deeper into it; True Monarch Shen Yi’s intentions were something he could not fully see through just yet. But as long as his Primordial Dao reached great completion, there would be nothing to fear.

On the fifteenth day, the momentum of the great tide of time reached a new height.

The churning of the ocean of light turned frenzied, and the rifts in the realm barrier tripled in just half a day. Those seven gazes became clearer and drew nearer, as if they would step out of the rifts in the very next second.

Qi Yun knew he could wait no longer.

“Fellow Daoists,” his voice echoed through Taixu Hall. “Next, Qi will push the Grand Array to its limits. When that happens, the Grand Array’s consumption will exponentially multiply. If any of you Fellow Daoists cannot withstand it, speak up immediately. Do not force yourselves.”

“Rest assured, Fellow Daoist Primordial,” Qingyuan True Monarch said deeply. “We understand.”

Qi Yun nodded slightly and said no more. He closed his eyes, sinking his entire Heart and Spirit into the blue sky behind him.

That stretch of blue sky had now solidified by seven-tenths. The sun and moon cycled through Reincarnation, stars twinkled, and the outlines of mountains and rivers were clearly visible. All it lacked was the final step—turning this stretch of blue sky entirely into reality rather than a phantom.

Qi Yun took a deep breath, pushing the Primordial Dao to its absolute limit.

Around his body, chaotic colored intent furiously churned like boiling magma. Behind him, that stretch of blue sky began to tremble violently. Countless fine cracks surfaced at its edges, as though it would shatter at any moment.

“Condense… for me!”

Qi Yun shouted low, exhaling a breath of Primordial qi that sank into the blue sky.

BOOM!!!

The blue sky abruptly unleashed a massive burst of light!

The brilliance was so intense that it overpowered the Grand Array’s seven-colored light pillar, eclipsed the Chaos Color bleeding through the rifts in the Celestial Vault, and overwhelmed the gazes of those seven Dao Kings. In this instant, the entire Profound Yellow Origin Realm was illuminated as bright as day!

The blue sky had solidified.

It was no longer a phantom or a projection, but a true, independent Heaven and Earth with its own Dao and its own order. It hovered behind Qi Yun like an unfurled canopy, completely enshrouding Taixu Hall, the Wuji Holy Sect, and even the entirety of Central Earth.

Within the blue sky, the sun and moon cycled through Reincarnation, stars twinkled, and mountains and rivers surged ceaselessly. There was wind, rain, thunder, and lightning. There was the alternation of the four seasons and the cycle of all creation’s birth and destruction. This was a complete world, a world founded upon Qi Yun’s Primordial Dao, with his will serving as its Law.

“This is…” Qingyuan True Monarch’s eyes widened.

Qi Yun slowly opened his eyes. The colored intent in his pupils had receded, replaced by a fathomless expanse of chaos. Within that chaos lay the reflections of the sun, moon, and stars, the outlines of mountains and rivers, and every scene of this blue sky world of his.

At the same time, in All Marvelous Heaven, the word “Primordial” that Qi Yun had personally carved shone with brilliant radiance. The colorful intent dissipating from its surroundings gradually spread, as if a drop of dye had been blended into a glass of clear water!

Above the Celestial Vault, that golden rift abruptly expanded!

Two Buddha’s Hands reached in simultaneously. With their palms facing each other, they viciously clapped toward the seven-colored pillar of light!

BOOM!!!

The seven-colored pillar of light trembled violently, its surface marred by countless fine cracks. The Grand Array’s Array Patterns flickered unsteadily as dozens of True Monarchs issued simultaneous muffled groans, blood spilling from the corners of their mouths.

The World Honored One had struck. It was not a probe, but a genuine attack.

Qi Yun did not panic. He raised his hand and pressed it lightly toward the two Buddha’s Hands.

BUZZ—

The blue sky behind him suddenly expanded! That stretch of blue sky transformed into a colossal hand that blotted out the sky, slamming ruthlessly down upon the two Buddha’s Hands!

The Hand of the Blue Sky collided with the Buddha’s Hands!

RUMBLE!!!

The Celestial Vault ruptured and the void collapsed! The two Buddha’s Hands were swatted backward by the Hand of the Blue Sky, their Buddha Light dimming while the Swastika Buddha Seals on their palms flickered erratically!

The World Honored One’s voice drifted over, still peaceful, yet tinged with a faint hint of surprise.

“Oh? This is…”

Qi Yun afforded the World Honored One no chance to catch his breath.

The Hand of the Blue Sky slammed down again. This time, it was not just one, but two. Two Hands of the Blue Sky struck out simultaneously, one from the left and one from the right, firmly pinning the World Honored One’s two Buddha’s Hands!

“Retract!”

Qi Yun shouted low. The two Hands of the Blue Sky exerted a sudden burst of force, forcefully yanking the two Buddha’s Hands out of the rift!

The Buddha’s Hands struggled violently as their Buddha Light burned furiously. Yet, under the clamp of the Hands of the Blue Sky, their struggles grew weaker and more powerless. Ultimately, both Buddha’s Hands exploded in unison, turning into a sky full of golden light rain that dissipated into the void.

The World Honored One’s will was forced back. He did not retreat willingly. He had been forcefully beaten back by Qi Yun.

Above the Celestial Vault, that golden rift slowly closed. The other six rifts also trembled slightly at the same moment. For the first time, a change occurred in the gazes of those Dao Kings.

Scrutiny.

They re-examined Qi Yun, re-examined his strength, and re-examined his threat.

Qi Yun ignored their gazes. He simply sat quietly within the Array Hub, the blue sky behind him slowly rotating, radiating the supreme majesty of suppressing the Ten Thousand Laws.

“Who else?” he asked indifferently. His voice was not loud, yet it clearly transmitted into every single rift.

Above the Celestial Vault, there was dead silence.